"Common sense is not so common." -- Voltaire
This should be must reading for anyone interested in politics or, for that matter, maybe more so for those who claim to be uninterested in politics. As the author notes, whether we're paying attention or not, politics affects us.
I'm not going to try to summarize the author's points but will point you to the blurb and countless lengthy reviews that have already been posted. I first encountered McGowan online where she's known as Politics Girl. Her straight-forward, no nonsense comments appealed to me, so when I stumbled across her book to review, I grabbed it. I was not disappointed. McGowan writes in such a way that you'd swear you're sitting in the room with her having a conversation. The conversational tone makes it easy to follow as she details, first, basically how our government was formed and what falls under the various branches of government (among other things), before offering possible suggestions on how to fix it. She recognizes that the first step in solving a problem is recognizing that there is a problem. Ever political decision made impacts us.
There were many standout moments in the book but for brevity's sake, I'll only mention a few. First, a reminder that the framers of the Constitution saw it as a living document, a work always in progress, so to speak. In the grand scheme of things, only a handful of people make decisions that will have an impact on our lives so we need to be more attentive to who we select to make up that small, core group. Something is broken and ignoring it isn't going to fix it. The other thing that gave me pause was her suggestion for how to make the Supreme Court more effective and fair. Nope, I'm not going to share how. Read the book. Grin. And, finally, her reminder that freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from accountability. That is something many seem to forget or ignore.
Seriously, this book should be required reading. It's a relatively quick, easy read, too, despite the importance of what it covers. The book opens with what might be dubbed a mini-refresher course of our high school civics class (do they even still have civics classes?) and then into how we've strayed from the ideals of our nation's founders and how we can find our way back. My sincere thanks to #AtriaBooks for allowing me this early look. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Common sense if something that everyone needs, few have, and none think they lack." McGowan's book will go a long way toward helping us find our way.
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